Forensics: The Real CSI might be named after the American police procedural but it seems geared to lure true crime fans away from Netflix and podcasts and back to prime-time TV.

Each episode follows a team of forensic specialists with Northumbria Police force as they analyse crime scene evidence – from bits of DNA in sweat on bullet casings to the light profiles in shattered glass. The episode opens with a dramatic call to emergency services over dusty, filtered shots of evidence reminiscent of true crime Netflix documentaries like Making a Murderer and Evil Genius.

The trouble is that true crime’s massive popularity in recent years has blossomed from cases where bent coppers mishandle evidence, or corrupt court systems convict the wrong person.

“The single biggest mistake people make is moving the body,” Kathryn Bolam, crime scene manager, tells us. Of course, no one here does – there is no Amanda Knox moment, in which experts reveal that key evidence was contaminated; or Adnan Syed-style revelation that a conviction relied on unreliable data from mobile phone towers.

(Photo: James Incledon/BBC)

Those with a genuine interest in the science of forensics will be fascinated by this documentary: the “harvest”, in which all possible evidence is painstakingly collected, is gripping in its way, and leads to clear answers around the two crimes featured in this episode.

The reality, though, is that everyday true crime – at least in the hands of this capable forensics team – is sad, brutal, and usually solved without too much fuss.

Forensics: The Real CSI continues on Wednesday nights at 9pm for two more episodes

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